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Getting Rowdy
Lori Foster
Charismatic bar owner Rowdy Yates isn’t the kind of man women say no to. So when he approaches waitress Avery Mullins, he fully expects to get her number. But the elusive beauty has her reasons for keeping her distance – including a past that might come back to haunt them both.Avery spends her nights working for tips… and trying to forget the secret Rowdy is determined to unearth. But when history threatens to repeat itself, Avery grows to rely on Rowdy’s protective presence.As the sparks between them ignite, she will be forced to choose between the security she’s finally found… and the passion she’s always wanted.
An alpha hero’s attraction to the one woman he can’t have could draw him into a killer’s snare in the sizzling new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster
Charismatic bar owner Rowdy Yates isn’t the kind of man women say no to. So when he approaches waitress Avery Mullins, he fully expects to get her number. However, the elusive beauty has her reasons for keeping her distance—including a past that might come back to haunt them both.
Avery spends her nights working for tips...and trying to forget the secret Rowdy is determined to unearth. But when history threatens to repeat itself, Avery grows to rely on Rowdy’s protective presence. As the sparks between them ignite, she will be forced to choose between the security she’s finally found…and the passion she’s always wanted.
Praise for New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster
“Foster hits every note (or power chord) of the true alpha male hero…a compelling read from start to finish.”
—Publishers Weekly on Bare It All
“A sexy, believable roller coaster of action and romance.”
—Kirkus Reviews on Run the Risk
“Bestseller Foster…has an amazing ability to capture a man’s emotions and lust with sizzling sex scenes and meld it with a strong woman’s point of view.”
—Publishers Weekly on A Perfect Storm
“Foster rounds out her searing trilogy with a story that tilts toward the sizzling and sexy side of the genre.”
—RT Book Reviews on Savor the Danger
“The fast-paced thriller keeps these well-developed characters moving.… Foster’s series will continue to garner fans with this exciting installment.”
—Publishers Weekly on Trace of Fever
“Steamy, edgy and taut.”
—Library Journal on When You Dare
“Intense, edgy and hot. Lori Foster delivers everything you’re looking for in a romance.”
—New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz on Hard to Handle
“Lori Foster delivers the goods.”
—Publishers Weekly
Dear Reader,
I am so pleased to bring you Getting Rowdy, Rowdy Yates’s story! From the moment he showed up on the page in Run the Risk, the first book in my Love Undercover series, he’s been one of my all-time favorite characters. Rowdy is loyal through and through, tougher than nails, dangerous, dark and edgy—but still sexy and sweet with a lot of mystery surrounding him.
I loved how he protected his sister at all costs in Run the Risk. I equally loved how he befriended Alice, the troubled heroine of Bare It All. But mostly, I loved how Avery, the tough-talking waitress at the bar Rowdy now owns, drew him beyond mere sexual attraction—even when he tried to resist.
There’s something to be said for “broken wing” alphas.
Please let me know what you think of Rowdy and Avery. I sincerely hope you end up loving their story as much as I do!
All my best,
Getting Rowdy
Lori Foster
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
When writing, I often ask for quick information on Facebook and Twitter. For all the many reader friends who so generously share their expertise in various fields, THANK YOU.
You are my favorite form of research!
For those extra-special reader friends who went above and beyond in supplying feedback:
To Jenna Scott,
Thank you for passing along my many law enforcement questions to your father, and please thank him for taking the time to answer. My favorite bit of feedback, when asking about the situation for my fictionalized criminals, was your dad’s very succinct,
“These guys are screwed.”
To Rhonda Copley,
A key feature of this story was understanding what happens to a child caught in the untenable situation of having bad parents who also happen to be criminals. I told you what I needed to happen, and you told me how it could work. I can’t thank you enough for your patience in helping me with the details.
And last, to Amy Miles-Bowman,
If not for your help, I’d have been trolling the bars for info. As a teetotaler. That would have been pretty uncomfortable for me. ::grin:: Your knowledge of owning and running a bar helped guide my Muse through a few plot points and I’ll be forever grateful.
Contents
CHAPTER ONE (#uc366ffbf-fb28-5816-8e0c-6d59e9163fdd)
CHAPTER TWO (#uea2d473a-ca89-5587-9005-b8d692a2324f)
CHAPTER THREE (#u1ec05e2d-f8ea-5dbc-b4be-1d821d9066ee)
CHAPTER FOUR (#u5260ac43-f070-5109-b3e2-44abc5a10553)
CHAPTER FIVE (#u772467b5-65ad-5285-a8b6-6d9dcc0ae019)
CHAPTER SIX (#u93698386-8366-512e-af0e-3e38bc3bee01)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINETEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
EXCERPT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE
AVERY MULLINS HESITATED outside the entrance of the newly renovated bar. This early in the day, only a dim interior showed beyond the locked, glass-and-oak double entry doors—new doors that had just been installed two weeks ago.
Doors she’d helped to pick out.
Freshly painted signs crowded the big front window, advertising food, two pool tables, dancing and drinks. Overhead neon lights showcased the name of the bar: Getting Rowdy. It made her smile, remembering how she’d suggested the name, and how he’d followed through.
In such a short time, so much had changed. The business had gone from a failing, run-down dump of a place known mostly for its cheap drinks and availability of illicit drugs to a promising, fresh new bar with a fast-growing crowd. Even more notable was her switch of positions, from struggling waitress to head bartender.
Satisfaction had her smiling through most of her days. Thanks to the tips she made along with the raise she’d gotten, she no longer had the grind of two jobs just to make ends meet.
She’d kept the same apartment that could only be called modest if someone felt generous. And for the sake of anonymity, she still took the bus to and from work, rather than drive. But...
She had changed.
Before meeting Rowdy Yates—bar owner, boss and scalding-hot temptation—before being swept up in his enthusiasm for turning around a broke-dick bar, she’d...survived. No more, no less. She hadn’t been unhappy, really. Or rather, there’d been no time to dwell on ideas like happiness.
But she hadn’t enjoyed her life, either. Not like she did now.
She loved how Rowdy so often included her in decisions concerning the bar, almost as an equal partner instead of simply an employee. He had final say in all things, but he welcomed her input. He was proud, but not too stubborn to listen. Strong, but never a bully. He made her feel important again.
And of course, every woman who laid eyes on him noticed his appeal—her included.
They got along great, working to make the bar as successful as it could be. Associates, and she liked to think friends, as well.
Rowdy wanted more. God knew he hadn’t been shy in sharing his interest.
And though he didn’t know it, she returned those sentiments. But...did she dare to get intimately involved with a heartbreaker like Rowdy? He was honest with her; she didn’t worry about what he wanted because he spelled it out. His honesty could sometimes be so brutal that it took her breath away.
He wanted sex.
Preferably with her, but every time she refused—and she’d refused every time—he easily found “company” elsewhere. With the way the female patrons came on to him, she doubted he ever had to spend a night alone.
Yet he always asked her first before moving on to second choice—his words, not hers.
Who did that?
Why did he do that?
If she really mattered to him, wouldn’t he wait until he got her agreement?
But, being honest with herself, Avery had to admit that went both ways. If he mattered to her, why make him wait? After the year she’d had, she deserved some fun.
Bad boy Rowdy Yates, with his scrumptious bod, brazen attitude and overactive libido, would be so much fun.
A brisk October wind cut through Avery’s jacket and sent shivers up her spine, bringing her back to the here and now. Daydreaming about Rowdy had become her prime preoccupation. Seldom did a minute pass that he didn’t plague her mind.
Maybe tonight, before he hooked up with someone else, she’d clue him in to how she felt.
With that decision made, Avery unlocked the door. Only she and Rowdy had keys. It still amazed and pleased her that he trusted her so much. She would never do anything to make him regret that.
Without turning on lights, she made her way through the dim interior of the bar. The early-morning sunshine barely penetrated the shadows. Usually she arrived around two o’clock, an hour or so before her shift so she could get set up. But she had errands to run today, as well as an important phone call to make, and she’d forgotten her phone near the register. She figured she may as well combine the trips.
After locating her cell phone behind the bar—right where she’d left it—she started to leave. She’d taken only a few steps when she heard the first noise.
Heart going heavy, alarm prickling, Avery stopped to listen.
There! She heard it again. A slight rustling, a low...groan?
She swallowed hard. Had someone gotten in through the back door? A drunk? A vagrant?
A robber?
Or worse?
